The Krewe of Claude, which was tentatively scheduled to kick off the Slidell Carnival parade season on Sunday, will not parade "due to too many hardships people are facing," past President and Slidell City Councilman Lionel Hicks said Tuesday.

Established in 1986 by the Washington Heights Tenant Association, the executive director of the Slidell Housing Authority and community participants, the Krewe of Claude was organized to increase participation by persons of color in the Carnival celebration in the city of Slidell. Though Claude is an official Carnival organization and the ball and parade are highlights of the group's year, the organization is more importantly a service organization for its members, who spend the year presenting scholarships and working with the elderly of the community. The krewe name was derived from the street name on which the Washington Heights housing complex is located. The site, a former pecan orchard, inspired the tradition of pecans as a symbolic throw for the krewe.

Also sidelined this year will be St. Tammany's only walking night parade, presented by the Krewe of Mona Lisa and Moon Pie. The krewe, which rolls grocery cart floats through the streets of Olde Towne Slidell dispensing its signature throw, the Moon Pie, was founded in 1984 by the Slidell Arts Council. It canceled the parade in 1997, 2001 and most recently 2004.

Krewe Captain Jacque Jenkins, who relocated after Hurricane Katrina to Florida to help her son's business, said the parade is canceled this year.

"I got the application for the parade and made so many phone calls (from Florida) but couldn't get anything together" for the parade this year, she said. "It is so close to the date, I can't do it this late. We will try to do it again next year."